


Silence

by Aarashi



Category: One Piece
Genre: After Thriller Bark, Conversations, Exhaustion, Friendship, Gen, Nakamaship, Reflection, Sacrifice, Secrets, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 09:18:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19423033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aarashi/pseuds/Aarashi
Summary: "He breathed out smoke, slowly. He remembered, too. He remembered the smell of the blood, its heat while it dropped over his body, the weight of the swordsman, increasing while Zoro lost the remaining strength. Sanji inspired and sighed again. It was an image that he would probably never forget."





	Silence

They had wanted to celebrate, which meant he had had a lot of work in the kitchen. He was okay with that; in fact, he had been grateful for it. It had been nice to cook again; when he did it, he did not think.

“… you listening? Sanji? Oi, Sanji!”

“Hum?”

Sanji raised his head. Usopp was looking at him from above. The music of the feast echoed behind them.

“Are you okay? It seemed like you were so far.”

“Y-Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Sanji stood up. “Just… I was thinking. What do you want? Is everything okay?”

He sounded more abrupt than he had pretended. Usopp blinked, a bit surprised, and Sanji took a hand to his face.

“Uh, sorry. I… it’s too much noise in there,” he finally explained, pointing inside the remaining of the building.

The feast had been really great, and hearing Brook at the piano had fascinated him. He had drunk and he had danced and it felt great after all they had been through, but at the moment the silence fell upon his shoulders, he had returned to that instant. The party continued, people sang, danced, the piano was still there, but Sanji couldn’t hear it the same way anymore.

“Ah, yes, I wanted some fresh air, too.” Usopp smiled and took sit beside him. “It’s crazy… I can’t believe Zoro is still sleeping with all this noise.”

Sanji doubted before asking:

“How is he?”

“I talked to Chopper and he told me that he had ended with the treatment. He thinks Zoro will be fine, but his injuries were really serious this time.”

Sanji said nothing. Usopp sighed and stretched his legs.

“Ah, man… While I was there inside I was perfectly fine, but sometimes when I stop a moment to think…”

Sanji felt his heart going faster, as Usopp’s words left a mark on him, but he did not let it show. He took a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

“I can’t stop thinking about what happened.”

Usopp’s voice was low, serious. He did not add anything more. Sanji knew instantly that he was asking, staggering, insecure. Sanji let the smoke out.

“I know,” he whispered. “I can’t, either.”

“I’d never seen Zoro that way before. Every time I remember the image of you carrying with him…”

That time Sanji tightened. He breathed out smoke, slowly. He remembered, too. He remembered the smell of the blood, its heat while it dropped over his body, the weight of the swordsman, increasing while Zoro lost the remaining strength. Sanji inspired and sighed again. It was an image that he would probably never forget.

 _Idiot_ , he thought, but he could not be annoyed. He had thought he would be, with the swordsman and above all with himself, but the only thing he felt was a deep exhaustion. He just was tired of feeling so small.

“I don’t know what made that guy go away,” Usopp continued. “But anyway, I’m glad he just left and all of us are still alive.”

Sanji also wanted to think that. However, the fear of that moment had not abandoned him. When he had woken up and—

 _First of all, I woke up_ , he thought. _I did it. I didn’t die._

But Zoro was not there. And he could be—

 _Stop it_ , he told himself. _Just leave it already._

He took air deeply. For some reason, a memory that suddenly felt too old came to his mind. A familiar sea, the scent of the Baratie. A man standing in front of a sword, accepting his sentence of death.

 _Just abandon_ , he had thought, desperately.

But that idiot had not abandoned. In that moment Sanji had felt a deep frustration, until he had understood it. This time he did not feel the same way. He had not thought _just abandon_. He had thought _please, leave it to me_.

And it had been useless anyway. He smiled, he sighed and he rubbed his face with his hand. He really felt tired.

The air of the night was cold and pleasant. He thought they had been under a suffocating dome too much time. But now they could breathe. He inspired again, slowly, very slowly.

Yeah, now they could breathe.

He realized he had been quiet for a while. And he had not been the only one. Beside him, Usopp was so tense Sanji thought he was not even breathing. The cook caught his gaze and raised an eyebrow. Usopp let out a nervous laugh and his shoulders trembled violently. He seemed about to fall apart.

Sanji smiled with kindness and he shook Usopp lightly.

“Oi. Come on, Usopp. It’s okay. I think we are just tired. Tomorrow we’ll see things more clearly.”

“Y-Yeah.” Usopp’s voice sounded in the edge of breaking, but he shook his head with determination. “Yes, sure! Now we have to look forward!”

 _Yeah_ , Sanji thought, looking at the sky. _That’s the only thing we can do._

There was no moon and no stars that night. There were no witnesses of their secret.

Some things were better unknown.


End file.
